User Reviews

1. Review Date: 2009-11-24

   Ratchet and Clank team up again to save the universe from another bumbling villain. Lots of unique weapons and some creative time puzzles differentiate this game from the previous lot, yet somehow it all feels very familiar. If you're a R&C fan this game is a must play. New to the series... don't worry, you'll miss a few inside jokes but the new zany dialog and weapons might mean you have more fun than R&C regulars.
   
   
   
   User: Matthew M. Schneider
   Rating:
   Summary: Yet another classic R&C game
   Helpful Votes: 0
   Total Votes: 0
   

2. Review Date: 2009-11-23

   This was my first experience with the Ratchet and Clank franchise. I had not had any experience with the previous incarnations but after playing this version I'm going to go back and pick up the earlier models.
   
   The game doesn't assume you have a lot of history and gives you a quick recap of events that led up to the start of this installment.
   
   Game play is very solid and has the classic progression of bigger and badder gadgets. A nice tongue in cheek cutscenes when you pick up new weapons from the gun company with some entertaining sequences. WIth Clank and Ratchet separated you have the idiot green guy super hero coming and going. for me he's an annoyance which is probably the point.
   
   The new record/playback functionality adds a new twist to the puzzle solving needed in many of these type of games.
   
   Also this is kid friendly for those of you who don't like the blood and guts of some of the more popular PS3 titles. You still beat the snot out of people so there is violence, just not a lot of gore with the violence. People you knock down either explode (robots) or fall back and blink and fade away.
   
   User: Tom Boucher
   Rating:
   Summary: Very Entertaining Platformer
   Helpful Votes: 0
   Total Votes: 0
   

3. Review Date: 2009-11-19

   I've been a loyal player of R&C since the PS2 versions - I eagerly awaited this version. However having invested 23 hours of play time into the game I am now stuck in bug hell. After "completing" the game I have been placed in unreachable positions for which there is no exit, and forced to re-do goals/quests that I have already completed - not to mention that the game seems so confused now that it often hangs/crashes and requires me to reboot the PS3. Fresh games started from scratch do not exhibit this behavior, but beware the end of game and save early/often - the auto save feature is great until you realize it just blew away your last stable save point and now you're past the point of no return and your options are to start over at the beginning of the game, or suffer through hoping the game will "fix" it self.
   
   very disappointed.
   
   User: dortor
   Rating:
   Summary: great game - too bad it's full of bugs
   Helpful Votes: 1
   Total Votes: 4
   

4. Review Date: 2009-11-16

   WOW! That's how I felt after having blown away the game in less than 24 hours, with every gold bolt, every weapon maxed, and every Zoni.
   
   I felt totally ripped off, as this has got to be hands-down, the worse offering in the entire series......And it's a series I LOVE! I haven't a complaint on any of the previous games, but this was undeserving of the title Ratchet and Clank.
   
   The one thing this game does have going for it, at least, is the same humor as before (if just a lot less of it). And I did get a chuckle when one of the released Fongoid's yells "I can't wait to see my wife", to which another Fongoid says "Me TOO". But that was the highlight of the game.
   The weapon selection is pitiful, the customization of a few weapons, feels like cardboard cut outs. I don't feel as if there is really even a point in customizing the weapons. The RYNO in this game is probably hands-down the weakest RYNO in the series, though the musical background when you hold down the trigger is a really great touch.
   
   Normally, gold bolts are difficult to find in previous installments, and you really had to use some ingenuity to collect them all. In this game, most gold bolts are proceeded by a literal TRAIL (thinks huge breadcrumbs) of regular bolts. No need to pick up a hint book here, if you can't find all the gold bolts, all you probably need is a stronger pair of glasses, because the bolts are right out in the open.
   
   The graphics are great, but not up to PS3 standards. In my humble opinion, not much better than PS2. But there are some GORGEOUS space scenery, things I'd expect from a Star Trek Next Generation t.v. show episode.
   
   Load times too, were a bit much; though at least they fill the time with interesting trivia tidbits.
   
   Unlike other reviewers, I didn't mind so much the Time Puzzles that Clank has to solve. But why there were a couple that made me retry a hand full of times, they were none-the-less, pretty straight forward, even the extra puzzles after the first play through were pretty easy (though the latter did take much more exacting timing to solve). I found them a bit tedious to play the 2nd time around, and it would have been nice if the puzzles would have changed, because that would have left at least some replay value.
   
   There are a few nice touches here and there, don't get me wrong. Just not enough of them.
   
   All in all, I wish I could have given this game at least 4 stars, but honestly (and unfortunately) it just didn't deserve it. I'd much rather continue replaying Tools of Destruction than spend any more time on this installment. Let's hope Insomniac listens to some good criticism and makes the next installment worthy of the title Ratchet and Clank.
   
   User: Dan Skinner
   Rating:
   Summary: Waste of Time, not a Crack in Time
   Helpful Votes: 1
   Total Votes: 7
   

5. Review Date: 2009-11-16

   I won't go into too much detail, because it's all been mostly covered here already. I can't quite put my finger on it, but for some reason, about halfway through this game, I just became extremely annoyed and uninterested in it. I am as big a R&C fan as they come, and have played and loved all the games on the PS2 and PS3 (I guess that's one game on the PS3 before this one). My biggest gripes about this game are:
   
   1. The weapons. As mentioned earlier, they just seemed really uninspired and even quite useless to me this time around.
   
   2. I got bored with the story. I found myself pressing buttons to skip cut scenes altogether.
   
   3. Flying. It could be just me, but I find flying games impossible to play when the controls make no sense as compared to actual aircraft. (This was my one major issue with previous games in this series as well). And the controls seem to change drastically from game to game, like moving the aiming reticle around while the ship can only dodge around within the screen in the last game, and the back flips in this game when you "pull back on the stick." Next thing you know, you're flying in the opposite direction when all you wanted to do was gain a little altitude!
   
   4. Ratchet and Clank separated. This is a theme I disliked when it first started, and their time apart seems to grow as each new game is released.
   
   The game is beautiful, but for some reason this game just does not click with me. I think all the other 2-3 star reviews are spot-on in the descriptions of the shortcomings like repetitious, unimaginative/unispired, etc. I know it is difficult to hit a home run every time a game comes out, but for some intangible reason, this sequel seems to fall short just a bit.
   
   User: Louis
   Rating:
   Summary: Lacking a Certain Something . . .
   Helpful Votes: 0
   Total Votes: 1
   

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Editorial Reviews

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a single player platform shooter that reunites Sony's famous space age duo for another comedic romp through the universe. The final game in the Ratchet & Clank Future sub trilogy, A Crack in Time answers many questions raised in the previous two games in the sub series, and introduces addictive and challenging new puzzle-solving Clank gameplay. New time-warping Clank gameplay. View larger. New modable weapons for Ratchet. View larger. Clank's self replication abilities open up a world of platforming fun. View larger. The Story Concluding the events set into motion by Tools of Destruction, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time will at long last answer some of the franchise fans' largest questions. After discovering that Clank's disappearance was engineered by Dr. Nefarious, Ratchet races to rescue his best friend. Unfortunately, he discovers that Clank's capture is just the beginning of Nefarious's latest diabolical plot. In this follow-up to the best-selling series, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time puts players into the role of both Ratchet and Clank as they attempt to reunite and save the universe. Along the way, both will finally uncover the hidden truth behind their origins, and discover their ultimate destinies. As the duo come closer to reuniting, they'll have to ask themselves the biggest question of all: Do Ratchet and Clank's destinies lie with each other? Or is it finally time for the universe's greatest duo to separate for good? Gameplay: New Time-related Abilities and More As with previous Ratchet & Clank games the action in A Crack in Time is a blend of platforming, shooter scenarios and puzzle-solving. Seeing as the premise of the game is that the constantly impending rescue of Clank by Ratchet, action naturally toggles between the scenarios that both find themselves in separately. Playing as Ratchet players engage primarily in a mix of exploration and comic shooter style gameplay that occurs both on planetoids and on space ships throughout the gameplay area. As players come in contact with non-player characters (NPCs) they will often be asked to perform duties such as rescues, for which they will be given rewards that Ratchet can then use to purchase new weapons and items. Many of these weapons are brand-new to the Ratchet & Clank franchise and can be upgraded and moded throughout the game for maximum impact against the run-of-the-mill enemies that cross your path, and of course the inevitable bosses faced. The lion's share new play elements in A Crack in Time are seen in its Clank gameplay though. A blend of self replication and time manipulation, Clank's new abilities are revealed in an early level in the game in which players are able to peer into Clank's memory. Here they meet Clank's maker, Orvis, and see that Clank has access to two hidden abilities/items: limited physical self replication and the Chronoscepter, which helps Clank to both fix broken items and slow down time. With regard to replication, mechanisms called "Time Pads" allow players to record Clank as he performs calculated physical movements and actions. These can then be saved individually and later replayed in specific combinations in the presence of the real Clank to solve puzzles requiring extreme speed or that he be in multiple places at the same time. Similar in usage to this is the Chronoscepter which can be used against swift moving objects or enemies while platforming in order to get into positions which otherwise would be impossible to reach. Used separately as well as together these two make for new wrinkles in Clank's abilities to solve complex puzzles across 3D spaces and in evasion and combat of enemies. Key Game Features An original new adventure and story that answers many of fans’ most-asked questions and wraps up the story arc that started in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty. Nonlinear levels with plenty of hidden areas to explore, and new gadgets like the Hoverboots that let Ratchet soar to new heights. All-new Clank gameplay and special "Time" abilities that bring new meaning to "past selves". The series’ renowned arsenal gets even larger with brand new weapons, as well as weapons that players can customize with various modifications. New space gameplay that gives players the opportunity to engage in space battles, explore the surrounding star system, and discover hidden items and collectibles.

Product Details

1. New space gameplay that gives players the opportunity to engage in space battles, explore the surrounding star system, and discover hidden items and collectables.
2. An original new adventure and story that answers many of fans' most-asked questions and wraps up the story arc that started in earlier games, 'Tools of Destruction' and 'Quest For Booty.'
3. Non-linear levels with plenty of hidden areas to explore, and new gadgets like the Hoverboots that let Ratchet soar to new heights.
4. All-new Clank gameplay and special "Time" abilities that bring new meaning to "past selves," and multiple personalities.
5. The series' renowned arsenal gets even larger with brand new weapons, as well as weapons that players can customize with various modifications.